RAM, PERT, project network diagrams

responsibility assigment matrix RAM

started in the project initiation phase and populated with team members and roles.

• Responsible (R). The person who will do the work.

• Accountable (A). The person who will be held accountable for the final work.

• Consulted (C). The person who can offer expertise on the work but will not work on it directly.

• Informed (I). The person who needs to know when the work is done.

project network diagram

compact, visual model of the project schedule. it shows project activities, duration, and dependencies on a simple chart using arrows and same sized rectangles. as a result, project network diagrams are easy to read and easy to update

precedence diagram method PDM

uses rectangles and arrows to show dependencies between activities. a PDM is useful for visualizing activities and dependencies

The diagram layout describes the flow of work. A “Start” rectangle on the left side of the diagram represents the start of a project, and a “Finish” rectangle on the right side represents the end. The project activities are arranged in a sequential flow from left to right. The left side of the activity rectangle is the start of the activity, and the right is the finish.

An arrow connects the two activity rectangles if activities depend on one another. The dependency type is depicted in one of two ways.

1. You can use the connection points to describe the relationships. For example, an SF dependency would draw an arrow from the left side of the first activity to the right side of the second activity. This method visually shows the connection points. However, this model looks complex quickly.

2. An alternative approach is to connect the shapes from end to end and label each arrow with the appropriate relationship type (FS, FF, SS, SF). This method works well for diagrams with many activities or many dependencies.

represents duration, activities, and dependencies. A PERT chart uses the same diagramming style as PDM, with rectangles for activities and arrows for dependencies. It also documents a duration estimate for each activity, known as the "PERT estimate." The PERT estimate is a weighted factor. The PERT estimate requires three duration estimates for each activity:

• Optimistic (O) is the duration if everything goes right.

• Pessimistic (P) is the duration if everything goes wrong.

• Most Likely (M) is the duration that will probably happen.

The PERT estimate weights the most likely value by four against the other values. The formula for the PERT estimate is:

PERT Estimate =(O + 4M + P)/6

For example, suppose Activity A generated the following estimates:

Optimistic = 2 Days

Most Likely = 4 Days

Pessimistic = 12 Days

PERT Estimate =2+(4×4)+126

PERT Estimate =306

PERT Estimate = 5 Days

The three-point estimation and PERT estimation processes are completed for every activity on the diagram. A PERT estimate is helpful for calculating realistic timing estimates. It represents a typical schedule with a slight adjustment for worst-case and best-case scenarios. A PERT chart is often created in anticipation of completing critical path analysis.